WWE Raw: Expect Steve Austin to Get Involved with CM Punk and The Rock

The 20th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw is quickly approaching, and I wholeheartedly expect to see the long awaited return of Stone Cold Steve Austin to the broadcast.

Stone Cold Steve Austin is synonymous with the success of Monday Night Raw throughout the near 20 year history of the show. He has provided a large list of memorable moments that transcend what Raw has been all about.

We haven't seen Stone Cold Steve Austin live on Raw since WWE All Star Night on June 13, 2011 where he served as the special guest GM for the show. During that episode, Austin closed the show by celebrating with John Cena with an old school, Stone Cold beer bash.

Meanwhile, since Austin has been absent from Raw, CM Punk has risen to an elite level. He flipped his leadership of The New Nexus into a "pipe bomb" heard round the world while wearing a Stone Cold t-shirt just two weeks after Austin's final appearance on the show.

Since then, there have been numerous mentions of Stone Cold by CM Punk throughout the weeks. CM Punk has gone on record that a match against Stone Cold Steve Austin would be something that he would be very interested in.

The two men even sat down with Jim Ross in a video interview about the release of the WWE '13 video game. In this video, the trash talk was evident, and the tension between the two could be cut with a knife.

Stone Cold was full throttle rattlesnake in the heat of the moment, and CM Punk was coy and believable in his rebuttals.

The two teased a possible match in the future. They were asked hypothetical questions that really served as a launch point for controversial answers.

On the January 7, 2013 episode of Raw, CM Punk and The Rock had an epic promo battle of monumental proportions that started the heavy build towards their clash at Royal Rumble 2013. While the heat between Stone Cold Steve Austin and CM Punk has built quietly in the background, the conflict between Punk and The Rock has come out right in front of our eyes.

Next week, will Stone Cold interject himself into this conflict? If WWE were smart, they would put Austin right in the middle of another in-ring promo between The Rock and CM Punk.

The history between Austin and The Rock is well documented. They may have had the most successful rivalry in professional wrestling history.

This story practically writes itself. If given the time and promotion throughout the show, an in-ring confrontation between these three would peak the interest in Monday Night Raw, and solidify the fact that The Road to WrestleMania 29 is in full swing.

Also, they can further plant the seeds for an eventual match down the line between Austin and CM Punk.

While it hasn't been confirmed that Austin will appear on the show, a report broke from LordsofPain.net (via F4WOnline.com) that Austin will most likely appear on the show. Here is the report from Marc Middleton:

There was some doubt regarding Steve Austin's status for next week's RAW 20th Anniversary show, but word now is that something happened over the weekend and Austin will most likely be appearing now. WWE is looking to go very big with next week's show.

If WWE is looking to go big, they should immediately schedule Stone Cold Steve Austin to be involved with CM Punk and The Rock.